I’m a Cricket

I have wings and legs but I can’t fly.

I can jump far if I have to and am pretty fast.

I usually stay up late into the night.

I also sing with my wings by rubbing them both together.

That’s how I attract a mate when I’m searching for one.

I live outside in the grasslands, in forests, near waterways and in the brush.

I also live in houses and sometimes can give people sleepless nights with my nocturnal singing.

Crickets are small in size with the largest being no more than an inch or two.

They sense vibrations through their legs and that’s their source of hearing sound and they sing more as the heat rises so on very hot days you can hear crickets singing in unison loudly and endlessly.

When you hear crickets getting louder you can tell it’s going to be a very hot day.

Crickets vary in color according to species and eat plants and insects.

They live lonely lives but do seek a mate when the time is right.

There are approximately 1,000 species of crickets and they gravitate to warm climates around the world.

Crickets like most insects have short lifespans living no more than a few months.

Children love to explore the world of insects and are fascinated by crickets. They love to capture them in a glass jar, poke holes into the cover and give them grass on the surface with food and water as they study them.

They are also captivated by their singing and seeing them move around.

The absolute best thing children love to do is set them free after getting a glimpse into their lives.

Children are fans of Jiminy Cricket, the small cricket friend of the wooden boy, Pinocchio built by Geppetto, the carpenter.

Pinocchio comes to life in the Walt Disney classic movie and is accompanied by Jiminy Cricket on their many adventures based on the book written by Carlo Collodi.

It is a joy of every child seeing these two characters portrayed on the screen and in book format and gives recognition to all crickets.

I love to sing and jump. There’s no need to fear me. I’m an insect and I have a short life span and I just want to live my life and give life to baby crickets before I go so please respect me too because I’m a living thing and because I’m a cricket.